And we're off!

Well...the summer has officially began, and we are all very busy (shocker)! Ella's gymnastics class is on Monday nights which started last week. Jocie started her basketball camp today which goes for the next two weeks. In the middle of that, she and Carl will be headed off for their annual horseback riding trip. But instead of heading all the way to Mandan, ND to ride and camp, they are headed to the familiar grounds of Argyle, MN. They will enjoy riding and camping with Grandpa Dwaine at the Old Mill State Park. Next week, Jocie also starts her Volleyball Camp (whew).

Carl and I are (too) busy also. I have Master's class every Tuesday and Thursday morning from 8:00-1:00 and some random Fridays thrown in there to spice things up! Carl does Driver's Training Mon, Wed, and Fri's from 8:00 - 12:00 and Tues and Thurs from 2:00 - 6:00. He is also working hard on his Master's because his Action-Research paper is due in early July (YUCK...or could substitute the "Y" in that word and use an "F" instead). Thank God Carl will be done with his Master's program in August! YAY!! And of course we have our darling little Claire to take care of who just turned 2 MONTHS :)

Claire is growing up (and chubbing up) right before our eyes. She is really starting to notice the things around her. She is starting to get a kick out of her toys. She loves to look at rattles and her little animals that circle her head in the swing (which she also really likes). She is starting to coo back at us when we are talking to her, and also starting to smile quite a bit (which is our favorite!)

Although our summer will be a hectic one, we are determined to enjoy it!

Jocie's first blog

I 'm so excited it's finally SUMMER. It's been a very long year, but I had a great teacher. Her name was Ms.Hageseth. This was her last year. She retired. I think the best thing about this year was meeting new friends and teachers.

Some summer activities I am doing are volleyball, basketball and swimming. Next year I get to be on the school patrol and a peer mediator. A school patrol person helps when people need to cross busy streets. We hold the flags up so they can cross. To learn how be a school you go to a camp called Legionville. The camp is in Brainard for 1 week in August. A peer mediator is when people have a fight or a problem with someone else and they can't figure it out on there own, so they come to us and we find a solution! On the 27th of august I get to go and practice to be one.

Have a happy summer!

Love, Jocelyn Adolphson

Claire is going green

....or we are attempting it :) My cousin Katy has a eight month old son named Elliot. She is very hip and up on the times. Because of this (and because she cares about the earth), she uses cloth diapers on Elliot, called "Bum Genius" diapers. These aren't you mom's cloth diapers. There are no diaper pins needed. There are two parts to these diapers. The shell and the liner. The shell is adjustable from new born size to toddler size (with snaps) and the liners are placed inside the shell. After the diaper has been used, the diapers are simply washed in the washer and dryer. You just have to take the liners out and throw them in. They do however have to washed twice (which might not be very green....) to make sure they are clean. Once with a little detergent and cold water and once with no detergent and hot water. I had heard of these diapers before Claire was born and was interested in them for two reasons. Of course because it is better for the environment, but also, because they are quite a bit cheaper than disposable diapers. It is more costly up front (about $15 for one diaper and liner), but over the span of two to three years are much less. I looked online and it was stated that parents spend about $2000 in disposable diapers per child, and only about $500 with Bum Genius diapers.

(not so happy in this photo...mom was taking too long)

Katy has borrowed me a few of her diapers to try and see if I like them. We have been trying them for about a week and here are the pros and cons that I can come up with.

Pros ~ good for the environment ~ less expensive in the long run ~better for Claire's skin/body...some studies link "infertility" with disposable diapers YIKES!!!!
Cons ~ pretty bulky..looks like she has a HUGE a$$...although if she has the "Lundby" butt gene, she will have to get used to this :) ~ I have to do A LOT more laundry ~ have more leaks ~ don't know what the daycare lady will think of this...she might not want to deal with them ~ have to front quite a bit of money to start

So...I have not come to a decision yet. Any comments would help.

Also on the "green" note (not environmental), we just finished painting Jocie's brand new HUGE room a nice shade of sage green. We have moved all of her furniture down and she is happily sleeping down there. I just have a few more things to finish (accent wall and some accessories) and then I will post some pictures!